Pencil sharpener



Jan. 10, 1933. w. APPEL PENCIL SHARPENER Filed May 11. 1931 Patented Jan. 10, 1933 PATENT oFFlcE WILLIAM APPEL, 01? LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS,

PENCIL SHARPENER Application filed May 11, 1931. Serial No. 536,454.

This invention relates to pencil sharpeners, and it has for its general object the provision of an article of the class described,

adapted to properly sharpen pencils, crayons,

etc., regardless of shape or size and irrespective of the hardness, or density of the marking material or whether or not the pencil or crayon may be encased in wood or other substance.

A more specific object of the invention is the provision of a pencil sharpener including a flexible wafer blade, with holding means therefor adapted to depress the working edge of said blade into a concave contour whereby a curved shaving is removed from the pencil or crayon.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a pencil sharpener in which the blade holding means may be readily disassembled to remove the blade for purpose of sharpening it or for replacement.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the following description of a preferred and practical embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the drawing which accompanies and forms a part of the specification and throughout the several figures of which the same characters of reference have been employed to designate identical parts:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a pencil sharpener embodying the feature of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded view showing at the bottom a portion of the case of the sharpener with the necessary lugs and apertures for the mounting of the blade holder, the holder itself being shown in the intermediate part of the figure, and the blade depressor-clip at the top. A portion of the blade is also shown in position in the holder;

Figure 3 is a section taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 4;

Figure 4 is a perspectiveview showing a portion of the case, and the blade and hold ing means in assembled position;

Figure 5 is a perspective View of the lid of the case, including the abrasive used for pointing the pencil or crayon; and

Figure 6 is a plan view of the blank from which the case is set up.

Referring now in detail to the several figures, the numeral 1 represents the case comprising the bottom 2, sides 3 and 4 and ends 5 and 6, preferably formed integral as in Figure 6. The sides and ends are preferably set up perpendicularly to the bottom and the end 5 is shown curved over at the top up to the point of attachment of the lid as indicated at 7 in Figure 1. The sides, adjacent the cutting element, are somewhat elevated as at 8 to prevent the shavings froln spilling outside of the case.

As shown in the drawing, the sides 3 and 4 are formed with stamped apertures 9 and 10 in pairs on opposite sides. The lower pair of apertures 9 has inwardly bent lugs 11 and 12, the same serving as supports for the underside of the blade holder 13. A pair of vertical slots 14 and 15 are formed in the sides for receiving the extended ends 16 and 17 at the upper part of the blade holder.

. t will be noted that the blade holder is formed with two arms 18 and 19 integral with the back portion 20 and that the latter is bent up at an angle to the plane of said arms. The arms 18 and 19 are formed laterally at their lower ends with lugs 21 and 22. When the blade holder is set in position, the lugs 16 and 17 extend through the slots 14 and 15 and are bent forward against the sides of the case as is indicated in Figure 4. The lugs 21 and 22 extend through the apertures 9 and are bent downwardly as indicated in Figure 4. Thus the blade holder is held firmly in position.

The lower ends of the arms 18 and 19 are provided with upturned ends 23 and 24 forming ledges against which the lower edge of the cutting blade rests. The arms are intermediately formed with depressions 25 and 26, the purpose of which is to lend resiliency to the arms. The blade which is indicated at 27 is shown to be of such width as to rest substantially against the back 20 when the edge of the blade is against the upturned ends 23 and 24, side portions of blade 27 supported on the narrow arms 13-19 and the back portion thereof resting on the narrow fiat margin at back of blade holder 13. The blade may be sharp on one or both edges, in the latter case of course, being reversible.

The blade is held in place by a spring clip 28 having a. curved flange 29 at its upper end adapted to fit around the back of the blade holder. The clip 28 is positioned by sliding it beneath the lugs 29 and 30 which are stamped inwardly from the apertures 10. The forward end of the clip 28 is formed as a depressor for the blade, having a convex elevation 31 on its underside registering with the space 32 between the arms of the blade holder and which space is bridged by the blade 27, its side and back portions being left in normal flat plane. The effect of the depressor-clip, when forced into its proper seat is to give the blade a concave contour and rigidly hold side and back portions thereof, in normal plane of repose. The convex elevation is preferably formed by stamping a concaved depression on the upper surface of intermediate front portion of the clip 28, which depression serves as a guide for the pencil or crayon when the latter are reciprocated in cutting relation to the cutting edge. It will be observed from Figure 4 that the end of the depressor terminates at a suitable distance from the edge of the blade so that the crayon or pencil can be positioned at any desired angle to the cutting edge.

The depressor-clip is held in place by a fastener 33, preferably comprising a resilient sheet metal member doubled upon itself in such manner as to form inner and outer legs 34 and 35 joined by an integral rounded portion 36. The end 6 of the case is shorter than the other walls and in the assembled relation of the several parts, it is straddled by the legs 34 and 35 of the fastening member, the rounded portion of which engages the flange 29 of the depressor-clip 28 in a resilient manner holding the depressor-clip in its blade retaining position.

The blade holder, blade and depressor-clip are preferably mounted in an inclined position relatively to the case so as to permit the pencil to be held at the same angle as under surface of blade 27 and upper surface of depressor-clip 28 and also to permit the shavings to easily follow, without splitting off at the end, the angle of the underside of the blade 27 and gravitate into the case.

A lid 37 covers the case, said lid being hinged adjacent the wall 5 and terminating just over the cutting edge of the blade, thus ensuring that the dbris of the sharpening operation shall not fly out of the case. The lid is hingedly connected to the case by lugs 38 and 39 which extend through slots 40 and ll formed in the curved portion 7 of the end 5. Said lugs are bent under as illustrated in Figure 1, thus holding the lid in place.

The lid is provided on its inner surface with a sheet 40 of abrasive, such for instance, as sandpaper, the latter being out to form an extension below the hinged joint as shown at 41 in Figure 5.

The method of using the sharpener is selfexplanatory. The pencil, held at any desirable angle is reciprocated against the concaved edge of the blade, pressed downward on exposed margin of blade, retracted and slowly rotated at the same time so as to bring different circumferential portions into contact with the blade. The more acutely the pencil is held, the shallower will be the cut. After the pencil has been sharpened, it is pointed by rubbing it against the sandpaper in well known manner. In performing this operation, the lid is thrown back to the position shown in broken. lines in Figure 1, the configuration of the lugs 38 and 39 preventing the lid falling flat, The dust resulting from the abrading of the pencil or crayon against the sandpaper gravitates into the receptacle or case, the extension 41 preventing it leaking out through the joint between the lid and the receptacle.

\Vhile I have in the above description disclosed what I believe to be a preferred and practical form of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention resides in the broad principles as claimed and that variations in the details of construction and arrangement of parts can be made from time to time as the exigencies of use may require.

I claim:

1. In a pencil sharpener, a cutting element comprising a blade holder adapted to loosely hold and support in its normal plane of repose a normally flat flexible blade, and means cooperating with said blade holder for pressing a portion of said blade out of its normal plane of repose, for imparting a concave contour to its cutting margin, and rigidly hold in normal plane of repose, other portions thereof. 1

2. In a pencil sharpener, a case, a blade holder supported inclinedly in said case and adapted to loosely hold and support in its normal plane of repose a normally flat flexible blade, and means cooperating with said blade holder for pressing a portion of said blade out of its normal plane of repose, for imparting a concave contourto its cutting margin, and rigidly hold in normal plane of repose, other portions thereof.

3. In a pencil sharpener, a cutting element comprising a blade holder having spaced arms, adapted to loosely hold and support in its normal plane of repose, a flat flexible blade in bridged relation, and means cooperating with said blade holder for pressing the intermediate front portion of said blade below the plane of said spaced arms, and rigidly hold in normal plane of repose, the side and back portions of said blade.

4. In a pencil sharpener, a case, a cutting element comprising a blade holder rigidly supported in said case, having spaced arms 1 adapted to loosely hold and support in its normal plane of repose, a flat flexible blade in bridged relation, and a depressor-clip having a convex lower surface adapted to be forced between portions of said case and said blade holder, against the intermediate front portion of said blade for giving a concave contour to its cutting margin, and means cooperating with said case, and said blade holder, for forcing into, and rigidly holding in normal plane of repose, the side and back portions of the said blade.

5. In a pencil sharpener, a case, a cutting element comprising a blade holder, rigidly supported in said case having spaced arms adapted to loosely hold and support in its normal plane of repose, a fiat flexible blade in bridged relation, and a sheet metal depressor-clip stamped with a concavo-convex intermediate front portion having its concave surface downward, and its side and back portions in normal flat plane, said depressorclip being adapted to be forced under and between portions of said case and said blade holder, against the intermediate front por- 4 tion of said blade for giving a concave contour to its cutting margin, and forcing into and rigidly holding, in normal plane of repose, the side and back portions thereof, the concave surface of said depressor-clip serving as a guide to hold the pencil or crayon to be sharpened, at an angle with under surface of said blade and top surface of concave face of said depressor-clip.

6. In a pencil sharpener, a case having side and end walls, a cutting element comprising a blade holder rigidly supported in said case between the side walls thereof having spaced arms adapted to loosely hold and support in its normal plane of repose a flat flexible blade in bridged relation, a sheet metal depressor-clip stamped with a concavo-convex intermediate front and fiat side and back portions, having its convex face downward and adapted to be forced under and between inwardly projecting lugs on the sides of said case, and said blade holder against the intermediate front and side and back portions of said blade, for imparting a concave contour to its cutting margin, and forcing into and rigidly holding, in normal plane of repose, the side and back portions thereof the concave face of said depressor-clip serving as a guide for holding said pencil at an angle with under surface of said blade and top surface of concave face of said depressorclip, and retaining means for said depressor comprising an element having spaced portions slidably straddling the adjacent end wall of said case, and bearing against said depressor-clip.

WILLIAM APPEL. 

